Coming off 11-win season, the Missouri Tigers are honing their red-zone offense
Before spring practice began, Missouri Tigers offensive coordinator Kirby Moore made it clear that he wanted to see MU’s offense improve its ability to score in the red zone.
Toward that end, Moore identified eliminating penalties as a crucial factor.
“Statistically, in the red zone (last) season we had 15 drives where we had a penalty,” Moore said. “And in 11 of them, we kicked field goals. So that is something we point to very often.”
The Mizzou offense is receiving Moore’s message loud and clear. Veteran center Connor Tollison has even made a pact with his fellow offensive linemen: No pre-snap penalties this spring.
So far, so good. And it’s not just Tollison who is improving. During MU’s first spring scrimmage on Saturday, the Tigers were penalty-free in the red zone, Moore noted.
The second-year offensive coordinator said redshirt freshman offensive lineman Logan Reichert was particularly impressive. With former starter Xavier Delgado gone and Cam’Ron Johnson moving from a starting role on the right to left guard this fall, Reichert is a favorite to be the Tigers’ starting right guard.
“I gotta finish watching the tape here soon, but on the field, (Reichert) did a really good job from a right guard perspective,” Moore said. “He’s got to continue to progress. And the big thing is communication.”
Offensive line coach Brandon Jones wants to see Reichert progress in the mental aspect of the game.
“It’s just confidence, I think,” Jones said. “Logan is a physical specimen, and he’s going to test through the roof and all of those things. But the confidence, trusting his technique, just knowing and being confident in his assignment ... he’s making significant strides there.”
Just how significant are these strides? Jones called Reichert’s improvement since arriving on campus last fall “night and day.”
Another heralded newcomer on Missouri’s offensive line is transfer Cayden Green. The former Oklahoma Sooner is set to play left tackle.
“Me and Cayden, we’re coming along well,” Johnson said. “You know, we chop it up and figure things out on the field together. He’s a really good athlete. You don’t really have to worry about him too much.”
Johnson, who played left guard at Houston before transferring to Mizzou, is happy to be moving back to what he called his “natural position.” He committed a team-high 11 penalties this past season, so the goal of eliminating red-zone mistakes hits home with him.
And a coincidental dynamic between Johnson, Jones and Green is making Johnson’s transition from right to left guard even easier.
“(Green) went to OU, so their offensive line coach (Bill Bedenbaugh) was Coach Jones’ offensive line coach when he was in college (at Texas Tech), I think,” Johnson explained.
“So we all know the similar techniques and we all teach the same thing. So he kind of knew everything that we did.”
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